Cardiovascular Societies Call for More Stringent Review Policies to Avoid Overuse of Stents

December 19, 2011 – The Maryland Chapter of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) reiterated their call for the state of Maryland to require rigorous internal and external review of stenting practices in hospitals in the state after an advisory group recommended a lower standard.

“Our priority is to ensure patients will receive safe, appropriate, high-quality cardiovascular care,” said Samuel D. Goldberg, M.D., FACC, president of the Maryland Chapter of the ACC. “By requiring each hospital to submit a written plan on an annual basis detailing how it will conduct regular internal and external review of its stenting practices, the state will be enacting important protections for Maryland’s patients.”

The Maryland Health Care Commission’s Technical Advisory Group recommended giving the Commission authority to regulate stent services as well as continuing evaluation of hospitals with stent programs, but the group stopped short of requiring an internal review that meets specific standards and an external peer review as an auditing mechanism.

Two high-profile stenting cases in Maryland hospitals were the result of “inadequate, voluntary, internal review,” Goldberg and SCAI President Christopher J. White, M.D., FSCAI, said in a letter to the Maryland Health Care Commission, which is considering the advisory group’s recommendation. The medical societies are recommending a two-pronged system of checks, including a well-defined internal review process combined with regular audits through external peer review.